Handbag



Dec. 31, 1946.v v. E. OHLSEN HANDBAG Filed April 10, 1942 W R.. W W F mi n E I. W V

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Patented Dec. 31, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlcs HANDBAG Violet E. Ohlsen, Washington, D. C. 7

Application April 10,

The present invention relates to improvements in pocketbooks or handbags adapted to contain various personal belongings or paraphernalia in compact and readily accessible manner.

Manufacturers of handbags or pocketbooks are continually striving to produce a multiple compartment general purpose handbag satisfactory to women. Many such handbags have been patented but have not proven satisfactory. Some of the chief objections are, inefficient or poor arrangement of parts, lack of compactness, and the fact that they have been limited in usefulness to certain specific purposes; e. g., purely as pocketbooks. The feature of general or multiple utility is quite desirable in many instances, and one which comes readily to mind is in connection with the present national emergency; many women who are air raid wardens desire to carry first aid equipment, a flashlight, and other such articles in their handbags, but there are no satisfactory handbags for these purposes.

The present invention aims to provide an improved compact, relatively simple and inexpensive handbag which may be readilyand easily converted so as to hold many small articles or a lesser number of large articles.

An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved pocketbook or handbag.

Another object of the invention is to provide a handbag which is easily and quickly convertible to carry different size articles,

Another .object of the present invention is to' provide a handbag having a removable pocket supporting and article carrying lining.

Another object of the present inventionis to provide a handbag having an improved compartment that normally remains closed when another compartment is opened.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a compartment having wall portions adapted to minimize accidental collapsing or crushing together of the sides of the compartment.

Other and further objects of the invention will be obvious upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiment about to be described, or

will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown in the accompanying drawing, forming a part of the specification, whe e n tiguous.

1942, Serial No. 438,413

2 Claims. (01. 150 -34) Fig. l is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention in open position;

Fig. 3 is a rear view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating the construction of a preferred form of removable insert member; and

Fig. 6 is a front view of a modified form of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, there is shown a handbag or pocketbook comprising a pair of adjoining main compartments i and 2 formed by outer side walls 4 and 5 and an intermediate wall 1. Each of these walls is preferably joined, in spaced relation, to a bottom portion 8. The walls and bottom portion may be formed from leather, fabric, or any other suitable material stitched or otherwise secured together as illustrated in Fig. 4. The outer and intermediate walls and the bottom portion are preferably stifiened with members Hi of cardboard or other suitable material; the stiffening material tends to give the walls and bottom portion sufficient rigidity so that they maintain their shapes and yet are somewhat flexible. One of the outer walls 5 preferably has an extension ii at the upper end thereof forming a flap or cover portion, the purpose and operation of Which will be hereinafter described. The other outer wall portion 4 is preferably provided with an inwardly extending flange or rim l3 at the sides and upper I edge thereof, and the inwardly projecting free edge of this flange I3 is preferably provided with the teeth of a slide fastener or zipper adapted to interlock th cooperating slide fastener teeth. The intermediate wall 1 is also preferably provided with a flange or rim M at the sides and upper edge thereof to which are secured slide fastener teeth adapted to cooperate with the teeth on the flange l3 of the outer wall 4. As the outer wall 4 and intermediate wall 'i are moved toward each other about the hinge-like bottom portion 8, the inwardly extending flange portions I3 and [4 on these wall members move toward each other until their free edges are con- When the teeth at the free edges of the flange portions l3 and I4 are in this relation, a slide member l6 may be moved around the path of the cooperating teeth to lock them together into a smooth joint. The joint thus formed may be unlocked or opened by moving from each other so thatbottles, jars, articles held by the various pockets or large compartment 2.

intermediate member 1.

the slide I6 in a reverse direction so that the walls 4 and I may be moved apart from each other. The inwardly facing flanges I3 and I4 on the outer and intermediate walls 4 and 1 tend to space the adjacent inward faces of these walls 4 and I from each other when the compartment is in closed position. This feature is desirable for it minimizes the possibility of accidentally crushing articles p'laced in'this compartment. The inside"o'f "'theabovedescribed compartment 1 may be lined with cloth 9 or any other suitable material.

It is desirable to utilize the slide fastener compartment as a multiple purpose compartment which may be used for conveniently h'olding a number of small articles such asnail polish, comb, nail file, tooth brush and ncme'rbus'ct er toilet articles, and yet which may be readily converted to hold larger articles such as clothing, a book, et cetera. Preferably the compartment I should have numerous-pockets or clips for holding small articles-and should be free of'any pockets or clips when holding larger articles. The compartment I is therefore preferably provided with a detachable pocket-carrying insert member I5. The insert member I may be formed by securing together layers of cloth I 8, stiffening material 2|, fabric 24, and oiled silk 25. The oiled-silk layer 25 is preferably provided with numerous pockets I1 or flaps I9, elasticretaining loops'or clips 20, and may have a mirror 22 adhesively secured thereto. The detachable insert member may be removably securedwithinthe compartment I in any suitable manner; inthe' preferred embodiment two-part snap fasteners 23 are utilized. The snaps 23 for attaching the insert member I5 are shown located adjacent the ends of the insert member but they may be placed in other appropriate locations. The snaps 23 facilitate application" and removal of the insert member to land from the compartment I. The stiifeningmaterial 2| tends to keep the insert'member in shape and yet renders it suificiently flexible. The cloth covering I8 enhances the appearance of thedetachable insert-member I5.

When the 'cooperatingslide fastener teeth are unlocked and the outer wall I of the pocketbook allowed to lie against a supporting surface (Fig. 2) the compartment- I simulates a small dressin table. The mirror 22 =faces-a user'and the various toilet articles are retained readily available'in the adj a'cent' pockets or'loops. When the compartment I is in closed position theinwardly'projecting flanges I3 and i imaintainthe opposite sides of the insert member "I5 spaced and other loops will tend'to be spaced from each other. "When the detachable insert member is removed fromthe compartment I the' resulting relatively large compartment may be utilized for carrying a book or articles of clothing. The insert-'member I5 may be readilyand 'easilyattached within 'the compartment I or removed there'from.

The intermediate'wall 'I'also cooperates with the other end Wall 5 to form a second relatively ThecOm'partment 2 may be formed by joining'the side edges ofthe-intermediate member 'llrwith the outer wall 5 by means of hinges or gussets 26. If-desired,- the edges of the gussets 2fi-may form the-flanges or rimportions I4 -locat e d;at the side pfythe j --'-Ihegussets -;26 faci litate movement together and apart of the wall 5 located between the lining ing the pocket 33. retained within the compartment 2 position against accidental opening and and the intermediate wall 7. The interior of the open top compartment 2 thus formed by the walls 5 and I is preferably provided with a lining 28, in the general shape of a pouch, having several pockets 29 and a card or license holder 3| for carrying identification cards and the like. The lining 28 preferably has a cutout 32 therein and a pocket 33 fitted within the cutout and 28 and outer wall 5; a slide fastener 34 maybe provided at the upper edges of the cutout for opening and clos- A small purse 39 may be by means of a chain or cord 30.

Ibis-frequently necessary to pay out small change forvarious items of merchandise, and

' of the cutout 35 is adapted to contain change.

The slide fastener 36 may be easily moved from side to side to open and close the pocket 37 so that change may be extracted from the pocket 37 without the necessity of opening and closing the entire handbag.

The extension or flap 40 at the upper end of the outer wall 5 is adapted to fold over the top of the open compartment Zand also over the top of the compartment I when the device is carried in closed position. The flap 40 closes the compartment 2 to prevent loss of articles therefrom and gives the handbag a beautiful finished appearance. Preferably the flap 40 has an aperture 4i therein surrounded by'a relatively large eyelet 43. The eyelet is adapted to fit over a projecting member '44 secured 'to the opposite wall member 4 and to snap over resilient pins or ball members carried by-the projecting member 44.

When the flap 40 is thus snapped over the resilient members 46 the flap will be retained securely in spilling of articles out of the compartment 2. Handle members or straps 48 may be secured adjacent their ends to the outer sides of wall members 4 and 5 by sewing or otherwise.

InFi'g. 6 *there'is illustrate a modified form of the present 'invention'wherein a strap or handle member 50eX'tends completely under and around the handbag. The strap ispreferablya single continuous one and extends through loops 5| located at each side of the handbag. Also, the flap 40a of the handbag illustrated in'Fig. 6 is not provided with the cooperating recess and resilient locking members of the preferred embodiment; instead the portions of the strap 56 which extend along the ou'ter surface of the flap 45a are depended upon to retainthe fiap'in closed position over the tops of the compartments.

--It will be seen that'the presentinvention provides a'new and improved'handbag or pocketbook which is adapted to servea variety of uses. The various'features provide a highly useful combination device. A detachable member may-be utilized for carrying various toilet articles in-readiness for immediate use at all times and may be easily and ment for quickly removed to provide a comparttransporting larger articles. A readily accessible change pocket eliminates the necessity for opening the entire bag in order to obtain small change.

As various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, it is to be understood that a11 matter herein is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a handbag, the combination of an opentop compartment, means for closing the open top of the compartment, a double compartment coin purse secured to one side of the open top compartment, said compartments opening upwardly, cl s n me s permitting access to one compartment of the purse from the inside of the opentop compartment, a slit in the side of the open-top compartment permitting access to the other purse compartment while the handbag is closed and means for opening and closing said slit.

2. In a handbag, the combination of an opentop compartment, means for closing the open top of the compartment, a coin purse secured to one side of the open top compartment having a middle portion therein to form two compartments, said two compartments in the coin purse opening upwardly, closing means permitting access to one compartment of the purse from the inside of the open top compartment, a slit in the side of the open top compartment permitting access to the other purse compartment while the handbag is closed, said portion in the coin purse preventing access to the inside of the open top compartment through said slit and means for opening and closing said slit.

VIOLET E. OHLSEN. 

